Current-director.



No 825,859. PATEN-TED JULY 10, 1906. J. F. MGELROY. CURRENT DIRECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.15, 1899;

Lamas (9 g v -f Nirnn s'rarns T NT JAMESF. McELROY, or ALBANY, NEW roan. ASSIGNOR 'ro conson- DATED CAR-HEATING COMPANY, or ALBANY, NEW roan.

OURRENT-DIRECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed September 15, 1899. Serial 190.730.5134.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, JAMEs-F. MoELRoY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Alban in the county of Albany and State of- New ork, have invented certain new and usefpl Improvements in Current-Directors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to current-directors; and the object of my invention is to provide an electric switch or current-director so arranged that a current may be taken from a source of supply to either one of two circuits or to the two circuits together, or the currentdirector may be so arranged that no current will be supplied to either of the circuits, and also to provide for the instantaneous change of the position of the-current-director in such a manner that sparking ma not occur. I attain this object by means 0 the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan. Fi 2 is a cross-section on line a; :r of Fi 1, an Fig. 3 is a section on the lines 3 1 on 1g. 2.

In many electric systems, especially those used for heatin electrically-propelled vehicles, it is desira le to provide for the transmission of electricity through one circuit connecting certain portions of the heating apparatus when the temperature is not too low. When the vehicle to be heated requires more heat than could be conveniently provided through one circuit, two circuits should be supplied with electric energy. It is advisab e to have the current-director used in such a system so simple in its construction and operation that an unskilled operator may, attend to it and so constructed that no sparking or other deleterious result may attend the movement of the switch.

I provide a block A, which may be laced in a convenient position at one end of t ieliar, operated from the platform when the apparatus is used upon a car, and arrange upon the block posts rovided with brushes '1, 1, and 2 and prefera ly arranged in such away that the space on the block opposite'one of the brushes shall be unobstructed by any posts, brush, or other projection.

In the block, preferably about the center thereof I arran e a 0st B, suitabl secured 7 s F Y by a nut Z) at one en or in any suitable manner, upon which post I preferably arrange a plate C, recessed beneath the surface. of the block, said plate being provided with a rim G, haviin openingsfj"f f (herein. Upon the post I arrange a (mntnct-plate carrying fingers K, K, an K constructed of metal and preferably connected with a hub provided with slot-s Z. \Vithin the recess in which the plate C is placed I place a bar j, extending across from one side to the other of said hub, upon which bar j, I arrange a post II. I also place within the recess occupied by the plate C a latch-plate E, provided with a latch F, adapted to engage with the slotted openings f f f f respectively, in the rim G on the plate C, the opening in the latch-plate E through which the post B passes being an elongated one, allowing for the movement of the latch-plate E in reference to the post B. I also arrange upon the plate E lugs i i, to which I secure the ends of the spring h,wound about the post II, the tendency of the spring being to force the latch F into the openin s f, f, f, andf. ()n the post B, I place. a co lar L, provided with a rim M, with which 'the ends of the spring D engage on opposite sides thereof, the ends of said spring D extending through the slots Z. About midway between the ends of the slots l is arranged a stop m,

against which the ends of the spring D engage. As thus arranged when the collar L is turned the rim M, attached thereto-or formed integral therewith, moves one end of the spring 1), and thc other end being held in position against the stop m places the spring under tension. When the rim M is moved so that it presses against one of the lugs 11 i, the plate E is moved against the tension of the spring h and the latch F is withdrawn from the opening in the rim G of the-plate C,which liberates the late E,'und therefore causes the plate to be orced about, moving the fingers rom the position that they occupy until the latch F is forced into the next opening in the rim G.

I preferably arrange on the collar L a plate.

Will bring the finger K into engagement with brush 1, the finger K will engage with brush 2, and K will be disengaged and no current will be carried to the system.

I have referred to my switch as being used in connection with a heating system; but I do not limit myself to its use inthis connection, since it is apparent that it could be used in connection with a lighting system or in any connection in which it is sometimes desirable to supply two or more circuits with electricity independently.

I do not limit myself to three contactfin-' gersand brushes, as any suitable number may be used without a departure from my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1 A current-director, consistin of a metallic bar provided with contact ngers, all

of said fingers in the same plane, brushes artionary during a partial revolution of the handle, a handle, a bar, a spring suppor ed by.

said bar put under tension by the move. ent

of the handle in. either direction, a means for removing the latch bya revolution of the han dle, causing the spring to force the contactfingers away from the brushes into contact with the next brushes, said latch arran ed to engage with-an opening adapted to ho d the fingers in position after then movement by the spring, substantially as described.

2. in a current-director, a connecting-bar provided with contact-fingers, brushes with which said fingers are adapted to engage, a latch connected with a sliding plate, a spring adapted to hold said latch within-openings, a handle provided with an arm adapted to put under tension 9. sprin when said. handle is moved in either direction, alug on said sliding plate with which said arm will come in contact during a partial; revolution of the handle, all substantially as described.

Signed by me at Albany, New York, this 11th day of September, 1899. g

' JAMES F. MGELROY Witnesses HARRY I. WELS CHAS. B. MrroHELL. 

